Under the new penalty structure, the maximum penalty allowed for “serious” and “other-than-serious” violations is $12,934. In addition, the maximum penalty allowed for “failure-to-abate” violations is $12,934 each day that an employer fails to abate the specific violation.

Finally, the maximum penalty allowed for “willful” and “repeat” violations is $129,336, 10 times the maximum permitted for “serious” and “other-than-serious” violations.

The Inflation Adjustment Act requires the Department to annually adjust its civil money penalty levels for inflation no later than January 15 of each year.

States that have their own occupational safety and health standards and regulations also must raise their maximum penalty amounts for violations by the same amount.

The maximum penalty amounts will be increased every year to adjust for the rate of inflation.